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Discussion essays are a common form of academic writing. This page gives information on what a discussion essay is and how to structure this type of essay. Some vocabulary for discussion essays is also given, and there is an example discussion essay on the topic of studying overseas.
Many essay titles require you to examine both sides of a situation and to conclude by saying which side you favour. These are known as discussion or for and against essays. In this sense, the academic meaning of the word discuss is similar to its everyday meaning, of two people talking about a topic from different sides. For a discussion essay, a balanced view is normally essential. This makes discussion essays distinct from persuasion essays , for which only one side of the argument is given. When writing a discussion essay, it is important to ensure that facts and opinions are clearly separated. Often you will examine what other people have already said on the same subject and include this information using paraphrasing and summarising skills, as well as correct citations .
The following are examples of discussion essay topics.
Although the structure of a discussion essay may vary according to length and subject, there are several components which most discussion essays have in common. In addition to general statements and thesis statement which all good essay introductions contain, the position of the writer will often be stated, along with relevant definitions . The main body will examine arguments for (in one or more paragraphs) and arguments against (also in one or more paragraphs). The conclusion will contain a summary of the main points, and will often conclude with recommendations , based on what you think are the most important ideas in the essay. The conclusion may also contain your opinion on the topic, also based on the preceding evidence.
An overview of this structure is given in the diagram below.
Structural component | Purpose | Stage of essay |
To introduce the reader to the subject of the essay. | ||
Position | To give the opinion of the writer (not always possible). | |
Definition(s) (optional) | To explain any important technical words to the reader. | |
To tell the reader what parts of the topic will be included in the essay. | ||
Arguments for | To explain to the reader the evidence for the positive side of the issue, with support. The most important ideas usually come first. This may be covered in one or more paragraphs. | |
Arguments against | To explain to the reader the evidence for the negative side of the issue, with support. The most important ideas usually come first. This may be covered in one or more paragraphs. | |
Summary | To give the reader a brief reminder of the main ideas, while restating the issue. Sometimes also says which ideas the writer believes have the strongest evidence. | |
Opinion & Recommendation | To give your opinion, and tell the reader what the writer believes is the best action to take, considering the evidence in the essay. |
When summarising the stages in a discussion or in presenting your arguments, it can be useful to mark the order of the items or degrees of importance. The following words and phrases can be used.
The following can be used when introducing your opinion.
It is important in English writing, including academic writing, to use synonyms rather than repeating the same word. The following are useful synonyms for 'advantage' and 'disadvantage'.
Below is an example discussion essay. Click on the different areas (in the shaded boxes to the right) to highlight the different structural aspects in this essay.
Title: An increasing number of students are going overseas for tertiary education. To what extent does this overseas study benefit the students?
Most people spend around fifteen years of their life in education, from primary school to university study. In the past, students only had the opportunity to study in their own country. Nowadays, however, it is increasingly easy to study overseas, especially at tertiary level. Tertiary education, also called post-secondary education, is the period of study spent at university. As the final aspect of schooling before a person begins their working life, it is arguably the most important stage of their education. While there are some undoubted benefits of this trend, such as the language environment and improved employment prospects , there is also a significant disadvantage, namely the high cost . The first and most important advantage of overseas study is the language learning environment. Students studying overseas will not only have to cope with the local language for their study, but will also have to use it outside the classroom for their everyday life. These factors should make it relatively easy for such students to advance their language abilities. Another important benefit is employability. Increasing globalisation means that there are more multinational companies setting up offices in all major countries. These companies will need employees who have a variety of skills, including the fluency in more than one language. Students who have studied abroad should find it much easier to obtain a job in this kind of company. There are, however, some disadvantages to overseas study which must be considered, the most notable of which is the expense. In addition to the cost of travel, which in itself is not inconsiderable, overseas students are required to pay tuition fees which are usually much higher than those of local students. Added to this is the cost of living, which is often much higher than in the students' own country. Although scholarships may be available for overseas students, there are usually very few of these, most of which will only cover a fraction of the cost. Overseas study therefore constitutes a considerable expense. In summary, studying abroad has some clear advantages, including the language environment and increased chances of employment , in addition to the main drawback, the heavy financial burden . I believe that this experience is worthwhile for those students whose families can readily afford the expense. Students without such strong financial support should consider carefully whether the high cost outweighs the benefits to be gained.
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Below is a checklist for discussion essays. Use it to check your own writing, or get a peer (another student) to help you.
The essay begins with | ||
There is a clear | ||
are given if needed | ||
The essay has clear | ||
One or more are included (including clear ) | ||
One or more are included (including clear ) | ||
The conclusion includes a of the main points | ||
The writer's is given | ||
There is a , which relates to the points in the essay |
Bailey, S. (2000). Academic Writing. Abingdon: RoutledgeFalmer
Cox, K. and D. Hill (2004). EAP now! Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education Australia
Jordan, R.R. (1999). Academic Writing Course. Cambridge: CUP
Roberts R., J. Gokanda, & A. Preshous (2004). IELTS Foundation. Oxford: Macmillian
Find out how to write persuasion essays in the next section.
Go back to the previous section about different essay types .
Author: Sheldon Smith ‖ Last modified: 16 January 2022.
Sheldon Smith is the founder and editor of EAPFoundation.com. He has been teaching English for Academic Purposes since 2004. Find out more about him in the about section and connect with him on Twitter , Facebook and LinkedIn .
Compare & contrast essays examine the similarities of two or more objects, and the differences.
Cause & effect essays consider the reasons (or causes) for something, then discuss the results (or effects).
Discussion essays require you to examine both sides of a situation and to conclude by saying which side you favour.
Problem-solution essays are a sub-type of SPSE essays (Situation, Problem, Solution, Evaluation).
Transition signals are useful in achieving good cohesion and coherence in your writing.
Reporting verbs are used to link your in-text citations to the information cited.
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Updated On Aug 01, 2024
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The article provides guidance on writing IELTS opinion essays, emphasizing structure: an introduction, two body paragraphs supporting one view, and a conclusion. It includes examples, common mistakes to avoid, and tips for clear, concise essays.
What is the ielts opinion essay format, ielts opinion essay sample answers, latest ielts opinion essay topics of 2024, top 3 common mistakes of ielts opinion essays, tips to answer ielts opinion essay questions.
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IELTS opinion essays mainly focus on agreeing or disagreeing with a particular fact or information. It presents two opposite views and you have to develop your argument supporting one view (strictly one!) You get 40 minutes to complete this task. You have to write at least 250 words on the topic given.
Given below are some examples of IELTS Writing Task 2 opinion essays along with their structure. So, let’s understand how to frame the IELTS opinion essay from the sample answers given in the blog!
If you’re gearing up to tackle the Opinion Essay in IELTS Writing Task 2, know that it’s all about writing your opinion on a specific topic with supporting examples. To make sure your essay ticks off all the criteria of a band 8+ essay, organizing it in the right way is key! You can also check tips to write an effective introduction in IELTS Writing Task 2 to present a great IELTS opinion essay!
Let’s now look at a proper format to learn the structuring of an IELTS opinion essay.
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Given below is an example of an IELTS Writing task 2 o pinion essay. Let’s understand how to frame the essay from the ideas we have. Additionally, you can review the IELTS Writing Task 2 practice tests on a regular basis to achieve your desired band score.
In the future, nobody will buy printed newspapers or books because they will be able to read everything they want online without paying. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement?
Given below is a brief outline of what to write in the essay after identifying the essay type.
Opinion Essay
Paraphrase the topic of the essay using synonyms for the words used in the topic statement. Clearly state the view on the topic.
Technological improvements have increased the level of ease and convenience to a point where people can access news and information at the click of a button. This has led to print media becoming outdated.
The development of news websites and sites that freely distribute information and print media in a digital form has led to a trend of availing such services and content without paying.
Summarize the essay and re-state the opinion on the topic.
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Presently, newspapers, books, journals, magazines, etc. are still actively used by a section of the global population. However, with the arrival of news sites and the availability of books, magazines and other forms of media online, totally free of cost, many believe that such forms of media are on their way to becoming outdated. I agree with this statement, and will explain it further with relevant examples in the essay.
It is a well-known fact that in this day and age if an individual wants to read a book or just go over the news of the day, the first step that they take is to search the internet. Devices such as smartphones and tablets have improved the time efficiency of searching for information online to such an extent that a person can access their preferred form of media in the comfort of their homes in a matter of minutes. Consequently, people have started to abandon their preference for print media due to the presence of much more convenient alternatives.
Additionally, the various forms of print media enjoyed by people can often be availed free of charge on several websites. For instance, most news organizations publish their daily news on their official website, which can be accessed by anyone. Also, some numerous sites and databases provide popular books, journals and magazines in a digital form to the public for a nominal subscription fee or sometimes even for free, leading to a majority of readers of such forms of media shifting away from buying hard copies.
Nevertheless, there is still a sizable chunk of the population that enjoys the conventional forms of print media. That being said, with the cost-effective nature of making such information and content available online, organizations will soon completely shift to internet-based services.
In conclusion, I would like to say that people always prefer the more comfortable alternative that is available. Therefore, it can be safely said that in the coming years, there will be a complete shift from traditional print media to online media services and products.
Some people say that international sporting events contribute greatly to peace and stability in the world. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
Paraphrase the topic sentence using synonyms.
Mention the view on the topic.
International sports tournaments are events where teams and the general public of various countries come together and collectively participate in the event.
Sports events, especially cricket and football help distract the minds of the citizens from the ongoing difficulties in their country and enjoy these events.
Summarize the essay and state the final view.
Sports has always been a magnificent platform for the finest talents of a country to showcase their skills and represent their nation. At the same time, sports is also one of the few occasions where every citizen of the country unites in support of their favourite teams. It is considered by many that sports are a great approach to maintain stability among countries. This essay will elaborate on the given topic and justify why sports can successfully bring and preserve global peace.
One of the greatest characteristics of any popular sporting event is that supporters of every team involved in the tournament almost always attend the matches that are organized in their cities. Some veteran fans even travel to different parts of the country to witness a match between their favourite teams. These events also unite the populace of a nation as every patriotic individual prays for the success of their national team. For instance, the entire nation wishes for the victory of their national team in the Olympic Games as winning an Olympic Medal is one of the most prestigious honours that can be bestowed upon a country.
It is a well-known fact that the people of a country collectively face several challenges on a day-to-day basis. These issues can be caused by numerous factors and are the typical difficulties that ordinary citizens have to overcome. Sports help people enjoy a few moments of excitement and take a break from the monotony of everyday life.
That being said, sometimes the passion of overenthusiastic sports fans ends up leading to harmful and conflicting situations among communities. Nevertheless, the overall impact of sports on our lives is undoubtedly positive.
Finally, sports are one of the aspects of human life that bind a whole community together. This is enough evidence to understand that sports help maintain peace and stability in a nation.
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Our personalities are predetermined as a result of our genes before we are born and there is nothing that can be done to change our character traits. To what extent do you agree?
Paraphrase the topic and mention the view.
Genetics are only a part of the entire list of factors that affect a person’s personality.
One of the most important influences on an individual’s personality is their childhood and upbringing.
Summarize the essay and mention the final view in brief.
Even between small periods of time, there are subtle variabilities in our disposition. Such alterations are quite natural and are a part of a human being’s existence. However, it is often assumed that our personality is entirely dependent on genetics. The following paragraphs will explore the different aspects of personality and justify why genetics are not the only factor influencing our personality.
An individual has countless experiences in their life from childhood to adulthood and finally until death. Every one of these experiences has an impact on a person’s mind, no matter how giant or small. The kind of people present in a person’s immediate surroundings also has a huge influence on their nature and characteristics. Thus, it can be safely surmised that a person’s genes are not the only contributing factor when it comes to personality.
One of the most significant influences on our personality is our childhood experiences and the teachings of our parents. Children are always known to follow in the footsteps of their parents. Thus, if the parents of a child are successful in teaching their children the right values and morals, they are bound to grow into responsible and decent individuals.
It is true that the personality traits of an individual are determined by the features of their parents. Nevertheless, these traits can be altered over the course of many years and different experiences.
In conclusion, genetics affect our personalities in a trivial manner as compared to all the other aspects of our temperament. That being said, our life experiences and learnings are the consequential factors in developing our character.
A few IELTS Writing Task 2 sample essay of opinion essay topics are listed down below, which you can practice. These opinion essay questions may appear in the actual examination.
In IELTS opinion essays, it’s easy to make some common mistakes that can lower your IELTS band score . Getting aware of them is the key to not committing them knowingly or unknowingly while you prepare! The top 3 common mistakes to avoid are:
In the IELTS opinion essays, you need to write your opinion about a topic and back it up with proof and examples. If you use a clear structure and good writing methods, you can improve your chances of doing well!
Also check:
What is the structure for writing the introduction for an opinion essay?
Is it mandatory to state my opinion in the introduction? Can I skip it and introduce my opinion in the body paragraphs?
What are the words that I can use to state my opinion?
Can I underline the important sentences, to attract examiner’s attention?
Is it mandatory to write the essay in first person?
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Below are some IELTS opinion essay sample questions which can come in writing task 2. Another name for these essays is argumentative essays.
Opinion Essays Tips
“Prevention is better than cure”. Researching and treating diseases is too costly so it would be better to invest in preventative measures. To what extent do you agree.
With the increased global demand in oil and gas, undiscovered areas of the world should be opened up to access more resources. To what extent do you agree?
We live in a world of technology these days. While the internet brings with it clear advantages, the problems in terms of control and security of information outweighs the advantages. To what extent do you agree?
In many countries today, parents are able to choose to send their children to single-sex schools or co-educational schools. Some people think that children going to single-sex schools have disadvantages later in life. To what extent do you agree?
Scientists and technology experts seem to be more valued by modern society than musicians and artists. To what extent do you agree?
Some people think that success is the best measure for intelligence, while others think that intelligence can be measured in other ways. What is your opinion?
The growing number of overweight people is putting a strain on the health care system in an effort to deal with the health issues involved. Some people think that the best way to deal with this problem is to introduce more physical education lessons in the school curriculum. To what extent do you agree or disagree? CLICK HERE: MODEL ESSAY
Some people believe that men and women are equal and so women should be able to do any job they want. Others feel that men and women are not equal and therefore there are certain jobs which are not suitable for women. What is your opinion?
Some people think that more money should be spent on protecting endangered species while others think it is a waste of valuable money. What is your opinion?
Other IELTS Essay Questions
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Loading Comments I can't give enough praise opinion writing essay examples how well my 6 page case study turned out! Go writing a self evaluation essay and read the introduction to the essay because this is wriiting a summary of the essay. Above esasy, your language must sound natural. Opinion writing essay examples should follow the customs and traditions when they start to live in a new country. In fact, the history of marriage is closely opinion writing essay examples to the history of the family Everitt, In addition, you only need to put enough water and food in a bowl and a sandbox so they can pee and poop when they need. Cats are smaller than most dogs so you do not need to have a big place for cats. It plays an important role in ensuring that your ideas flow logically from one to another. Once you understand the process, practice on past questions. Nevertheless, the overall impact of sports on our lives is undoubtedly positive. Personally, I think that it is better to have cats as pets for the following reasons: First of all, cats are more independent than dogs. I believe that people are increasingly concerned about the risk of stress-related ill-health frequently experienced by people in highly paid positions and they care more about feeling fulfilled at work. Before starting to write the essay, you need to collect information that supports your opinion. Great work. In addition, cats only meow softly and do not bark loudly like dogs. An introduction. Additional pages at standard rates.
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Confidence in U.S. public opinion polling was shaken by errors in 2016 and 2020. In both years’ general elections, many polls underestimated the strength of Republican candidates, including Donald Trump. These errors laid bare some real limitations of polling.
In the midterms that followed those elections, polling performed better . But many Americans remain skeptical that it can paint an accurate portrait of the public’s political preferences.
Restoring people’s confidence in polling is an important goal, because robust and independent public polling has a critical role to play in a democratic society. It gathers and publishes information about the well-being of the public and about citizens’ views on major issues. And it provides an important counterweight to people in power, or those seeking power, when they make claims about “what the people want.”
The challenges facing polling are undeniable. In addition to the longstanding issues of rising nonresponse and cost, summer 2024 brought extraordinary events that transformed the presidential race . The good news is that people with deep knowledge of polling are working hard to fix the problems exposed in 2016 and 2020, experimenting with more data sources and interview approaches than ever before. Still, polls are more useful to the public if people have realistic expectations about what surveys can do well – and what they cannot.
With that in mind, here are some key points to know about polling heading into this year’s presidential election.
Probability sampling (or “random sampling”). This refers to a polling method in which survey participants are recruited using random sampling from a database or list that includes nearly everyone in the population. The pollster selects the sample. The survey is not open for anyone who wants to sign up.
Online opt-in polling (or “nonprobability sampling”). These polls are recruited using a variety of methods that are sometimes referred to as “convenience sampling.” Respondents come from a variety of online sources such as ads on social media or search engines, websites offering rewards in exchange for survey participation, or self-enrollment. Unlike surveys with probability samples, people can volunteer to participate in opt-in surveys.
Nonresponse and nonresponse bias. Nonresponse is when someone sampled for a survey does not participate. Nonresponse bias occurs when the pattern of nonresponse leads to error in a poll estimate. For example, college graduates are more likely than those without a degree to participate in surveys, leading to the potential that the share of college graduates in the resulting sample will be too high.
Mode of interview. This refers to the format in which respondents are presented with and respond to survey questions. The most common modes are online, live telephone, text message and paper. Some polls use more than one mode.
Weighting. This is a statistical procedure pollsters perform to make their survey align with the broader population on key characteristics like age, race, etc. For example, if a survey has too many college graduates compared with their share in the population, people without a college degree are “weighted up” to match the proper share.
Pollsters are making changes in response to the problems in previous elections. As a result, polling is different today than in 2016. Most U.S. polling organizations that conducted and publicly released national surveys in both 2016 and 2022 (61%) used methods in 2022 that differed from what they used in 2016 . And change has continued since 2022.
One change is that the number of active polling organizations has grown significantly, indicating that there are fewer barriers to entry into the polling field. The number of organizations that conduct national election polls more than doubled between 2000 and 2022.
This growth has been driven largely by pollsters using inexpensive opt-in sampling methods. But previous Pew Research Center analyses have demonstrated how surveys that use nonprobability sampling may have errors twice as large , on average, as those that use probability sampling.
The second change is that many of the more prominent polling organizations that use probability sampling – including Pew Research Center – have shifted from conducting polls primarily by telephone to using online methods, or some combination of online, mail and telephone. The result is that polling methodologies are far more diverse now than in the past.
(For more about how public opinion polling works, including a chapter on election polls, read our short online course on public opinion polling basics .)
All good polling relies on statistical adjustment called “weighting,” which makes sure that the survey sample aligns with the broader population on key characteristics. Historically, public opinion researchers have adjusted their data using a core set of demographic variables to correct imbalances between the survey sample and the population.
But there is a growing realization among survey researchers that weighting a poll on just a few variables like age, race and gender is insufficient for getting accurate results. Some groups of people – such as older adults and college graduates – are more likely to take surveys, which can lead to errors that are too sizable for a simple three- or four-variable adjustment to work well. Adjusting on more variables produces more accurate results, according to Center studies in 2016 and 2018 .
A number of pollsters have taken this lesson to heart. For example, recent high-quality polls by Gallup and The New York Times/Siena College adjusted on eight and 12 variables, respectively. Our own polls typically adjust on 12 variables . In a perfect world, it wouldn’t be necessary to have that much intervention by the pollster. But the real world of survey research is not perfect.
Predicting who will vote is critical – and difficult. Preelection polls face one crucial challenge that routine opinion polls do not: determining who of the people surveyed will actually cast a ballot.
Roughly a third of eligible Americans do not vote in presidential elections , despite the enormous attention paid to these contests. Determining who will abstain is difficult because people can’t perfectly predict their future behavior – and because many people feel social pressure to say they’ll vote even if it’s unlikely.
No one knows the profile of voters ahead of Election Day. We can’t know for sure whether young people will turn out in greater numbers than usual, or whether key racial or ethnic groups will do so. This means pollsters are left to make educated guesses about turnout, often using a mix of historical data and current measures of voting enthusiasm. This is very different from routine opinion polls, which mostly do not ask about people’s future intentions.
When major news breaks, a poll’s timing can matter. Public opinion on most issues is remarkably stable, so you don’t necessarily need a recent poll about an issue to get a sense of what people think about it. But dramatic events can and do change public opinion , especially when people are first learning about a new topic. For example, polls this summer saw notable changes in voter attitudes following Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race. Polls taken immediately after a major event may pick up a shift in public opinion, but those shifts are sometimes short-lived. Polls fielded weeks or months later are what allow us to see whether an event has had a long-term impact on the public’s psyche.
The answer to this question depends on what you want polls to do. Polls are used for all kinds of purposes in addition to showing who’s ahead and who’s behind in a campaign. Fair or not, however, the accuracy of election polling is usually judged by how closely the polls matched the outcome of the election.
By this standard, polling in 2016 and 2020 performed poorly. In both years, state polling was characterized by serious errors. National polling did reasonably well in 2016 but faltered in 2020.
In 2020, a post-election review of polling by the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) found that “the 2020 polls featured polling error of an unusual magnitude: It was the highest in 40 years for the national popular vote and the highest in at least 20 years for state-level estimates of the vote in presidential, senatorial, and gubernatorial contests.”
How big were the errors? Polls conducted in the last two weeks before the election suggested that Biden’s margin over Trump was nearly twice as large as it ended up being in the final national vote tally.
Errors of this size make it difficult to be confident about who is leading if the election is closely contested, as many U.S. elections are .
Pollsters are rightly working to improve the accuracy of their polls. But even an error of 4 or 5 percentage points isn’t too concerning if the purpose of the poll is to describe whether the public has favorable or unfavorable opinions about candidates , or to show which issues matter to which voters. And on questions that gauge where people stand on issues, we usually want to know broadly where the public stands. We don’t necessarily need to know the precise share of Americans who say, for example, that climate change is mostly caused by human activity. Even judged by its performance in recent elections, polling can still provide a faithful picture of public sentiment on the important issues of the day.
The 2022 midterms saw generally accurate polling, despite a wave of partisan polls predicting a broad Republican victory. In fact, FiveThirtyEight found that “polls were more accurate in 2022 than in any cycle since at least 1998, with almost no bias toward either party.” Moreover, a handful of contrarian polls that predicted a 2022 “red wave” largely washed out when the votes were tallied. In sum, if we focus on polling in the most recent national election, there’s plenty of reason to be encouraged.
Compared with other elections in the past 20 years, polls have been less accurate when Donald Trump is on the ballot. Preelection surveys suffered from large errors – especially at the state level – in 2016 and 2020, when Trump was standing for election. But they performed reasonably well in the 2018 and 2022 midterms, when he was not.
During the 2016 campaign, observers speculated about the possibility that Trump supporters might be less willing to express their support to a pollster – a phenomenon sometimes described as the “shy Trump effect.” But a committee of polling experts evaluated five different tests of the “shy Trump” theory and turned up little to no evidence for each one . Later, Pew Research Center and, in a separate test, a researcher from Yale also found little to no evidence in support of the claim.
Instead, two other explanations are more likely. One is about the difficulty of estimating who will turn out to vote. Research has found that Trump is popular among people who tend to sit out midterms but turn out for him in presidential election years. Since pollsters often use past turnout to predict who will vote, it can be difficult to anticipate when irregular voters will actually show up.
The other explanation is that Republicans in the Trump era have become a little less likely than Democrats to participate in polls . Pollsters call this “partisan nonresponse bias.” Surprisingly, polls historically have not shown any particular pattern of favoring one side or the other. The errors that favored Democratic candidates in the past eight years may be a result of the growth of political polarization, along with declining trust among conservatives in news organizations and other institutions that conduct polls.
Whatever the cause, the fact that Trump is again the nominee of the Republican Party means that pollsters must be especially careful to make sure all segments of the population are properly represented in surveys.
The real margin of error is often about double the one reported. A typical election poll sample of about 1,000 people has a margin of sampling error that’s about plus or minus 3 percentage points. That number expresses the uncertainty that results from taking a sample of the population rather than interviewing everyone . Random samples are likely to differ a little from the population just by chance, in the same way that the quality of your hand in a card game varies from one deal to the next.
The problem is that sampling error is not the only kind of error that affects a poll. Those other kinds of error, in fact, can be as large or larger than sampling error. Consequently, the reported margin of error can lead people to think that polls are more accurate than they really are.
There are three other, equally important sources of error in polling: noncoverage error , where not all the target population has a chance of being sampled; nonresponse error, where certain groups of people may be less likely to participate; and measurement error, where people may not properly understand the questions or misreport their opinions. Not only does the margin of error fail to account for those other sources of potential error, putting a number only on sampling error implies to the public that other kinds of error do not exist.
Several recent studies show that the average total error in a poll estimate may be closer to twice as large as that implied by a typical margin of sampling error. This hidden error underscores the fact that polls may not be precise enough to call the winner in a close election.
Transparency in how a poll was conducted is associated with better accuracy . The polling industry has several platforms and initiatives aimed at promoting transparency in survey methodology. These include AAPOR’s transparency initiative and the Roper Center archive . Polling organizations that participate in these organizations have less error, on average, than those that don’t participate, an analysis by FiveThirtyEight found .
Participation in these transparency efforts does not guarantee that a poll is rigorous, but it is undoubtedly a positive signal. Transparency in polling means disclosing essential information, including the poll’s sponsor, the data collection firm, where and how participants were selected, modes of interview, field dates, sample size, question wording, and weighting procedures.
There is evidence that when the public is told that a candidate is extremely likely to win, some people may be less likely to vote . Following the 2016 election, many people wondered whether the pervasive forecasts that seemed to all but guarantee a Hillary Clinton victory – two modelers put her chances at 99% – led some would-be voters to conclude that the race was effectively over and that their vote would not make a difference. There is scientific research to back up that claim: A team of researchers found experimental evidence that when people have high confidence that one candidate will win, they are less likely to vote. This helps explain why some polling analysts say elections should be covered using traditional polling estimates and margins of error rather than speculative win probabilities (also known as “probabilistic forecasts”).
National polls tell us what the entire public thinks about the presidential candidates, but the outcome of the election is determined state by state in the Electoral College . The 2000 and 2016 presidential elections demonstrated a difficult truth: The candidate with the largest share of support among all voters in the United States sometimes loses the election. In those two elections, the national popular vote winners (Al Gore and Hillary Clinton) lost the election in the Electoral College (to George W. Bush and Donald Trump). In recent years, analysts have shown that Republican candidates do somewhat better in the Electoral College than in the popular vote because every state gets three electoral votes regardless of population – and many less-populated states are rural and more Republican.
For some, this raises the question: What is the use of national polls if they don’t tell us who is likely to win the presidency? In fact, national polls try to gauge the opinions of all Americans, regardless of whether they live in a battleground state like Pennsylvania, a reliably red state like Idaho or a reliably blue state like Rhode Island. In short, national polls tell us what the entire citizenry is thinking. Polls that focus only on the competitive states run the risk of giving too little attention to the needs and views of the vast majority of Americans who live in uncompetitive states – about 80%.
Fortunately, this is not how most pollsters view the world . As the noted political scientist Sidney Verba explained, “Surveys produce just what democracy is supposed to produce – equal representation of all citizens.”
Scott Keeter is a senior survey advisor at Pew Research Center .
Courtney Kennedy is Vice President of Methods and Innovation at Pew Research Center .
How public polling has changed in the 21st century, what 2020’s election poll errors tell us about the accuracy of issue polling, a field guide to polling: election 2020 edition, methods 101: how is polling done around the world, most popular.
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ABOUT PEW RESEARCH CENTER Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan, nonadvocacy fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world. It does not take policy positions. The Center conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, computational social science research and other data-driven research. Pew Research Center is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts , its primary funder.
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The Alaska State Capitol is shown on Thursday, May 16, 2024, in Juneau, Alaska. (AP Photo/Becky Bohrer)
You may have read recent commentaries in the ADN that have made claims about what it means to support public safety. All too often, what gets lost in the discussion are the voices of actual public safety workers. Most of the time, those public safety workers are restricted from speaking out publicly about political issues, and they have a strong desire to remain neutral and above the fray of partisanship. But there should be no mistake that there are issues that impact public safety workers such as police officers both positively and negatively. Unfortunately, the union bosses who claim to speak on behalf of the officers are so intertwined with partisan political allegiances and special interests that they often no longer make an attempt to reflect the views of their membership.
The discussion about defined benefits in Alaska is one of the best examples of how union bosses simply ignore the best interests of their membership. The bosses ignore their members who value the economic freedom and ownership that defined-contribution plans provide. The mobility provided by the defined-contribution plans allows for career growth opportunities. The union bosses simply don’t acknowledge how portable retirement plans that are owned by the employee allow them to take hundreds of thousands of dollars with them when they make life choices that benefit them personally. These types of plans benefited private sector workers beginning decades ago, and unfortunately, government workers were left behind. The union bosses ignore the fact that the state of Alaska, taxpayers and all government workers deserve economic freedom that comes with a cost-specific retirement system that allows individuals to build wealth and provide income for retirement. This approach of allowing individuals to take personal responsibility instead of saddling taxpayers with unfunded liabilities benefits both the taxpayer and the individual with the retirement plan.
Why do the union bosses continually advocate for an outdated government-based system of retirement benefits? They constantly talk about retention and the cost of training and turnover. But police departments across the country all are facing severe manpower shortages and recruiting challenges. Most of those departments have outdated pension systems that Alaska has fortunately left behind. The union bosses want to prevent their members from leaving with hundreds of thousands of dollars and instead handcuff them to jobs that may no longer fit in their family life. And other departments have shown that those handcuffs don’t work anyway in retention efforts.
My interest and expertise on this topic comes from a unique perspective and life experience. I “retired” from a 20-year Wall Street career and became a police officer to serve the community I love. I served clients and help many transition from old-style pension plans to lucrative, wealth-building personal 401(k) accounts. Millions of working class Americans have benefited from being part of this wealth-building investor mindset instead of relying on the government to provide for when you retire. Our current Alaska system takes a mandatory 13% of my gross salary that is contributed to my personal account. The required contributions are invested in prudent long-term investments, which prevent risky gambles of critical retirement benefits. This 13% is only the beginning of the opportunity for me and my coworkers to make other retirement contributions that are also matched.
My union has repeatedly attacked and vilified me for standing up for my coworkers. I have been elected as a union board member twice. I won a recall election that was initiated because I dared to challenge the union bosses on defined benefits. The union has done everything possible to silence me because I refuse to go along and support the union’s positions that hurt the membership. I implore you to talk to your friend or neighbor who happens to be a police officer. You should know that the union bosses consistently ignore their members and will not allow them to weigh in when the unions make political decisions.
Christopher Wright is a senior patrol officer with the Anchorage Police Department and speaks on behalf of himself only. He is an elected executive board member of the Anchorage Police Department Employees Association. Wright has been a police officer for almost seven years after a 20-year career in investment management.
The views expressed here are the writer’s and are not necessarily endorsed by the Anchorage Daily News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, email commentary(at)adn.com . Send submissions shorter than 200 words to [email protected] or click here to submit via any web browser . Read our full guidelines for letters and commentaries here .
The former president and his backers aim to strengthen the power of the White House and limit the independence of federal agencies.
Donald J. Trump intends to bring independent regulatory agencies under direct presidential control. Credit... Doug Mills/The New York Times
Supported by
By Jonathan Swan Charlie Savage and Maggie Haberman
Donald J. Trump and his allies are planning a sweeping expansion of presidential power over the machinery of government if voters return him to the White House in 2025, reshaping the structure of the executive branch to concentrate far greater authority directly in his hands.
Their plans to centralize more power in the Oval Office stretch far beyond the former president’s recent remarks that he would order a criminal investigation into his political rival, President Biden, signaling his intent to end the post-Watergate norm of Justice Department independence from White House political control.
Mr. Trump and his associates have a broader goal: to alter the balance of power by increasing the president’s authority over every part of the federal government that now operates, by either law or tradition, with any measure of independence from political interference by the White House, according to a review of his campaign policy proposals and interviews with people close to him.
Mr. Trump intends to bring independent agencies — like the Federal Communications Commission, which makes and enforces rules for television and internet companies, and the Federal Trade Commission, which enforces various antitrust and other consumer protection rules against businesses — under direct presidential control.
He wants to revive the practice of “impounding” funds, refusing to spend money Congress has appropriated for programs a president doesn’t like — a tactic that lawmakers banned under President Richard Nixon.
He intends to strip employment protections from tens of thousands of career civil servants, making it easier to replace them if they are deemed obstacles to his agenda. And he plans to scour the intelligence agencies, the State Department and the defense bureaucracies to remove officials he has vilified as “the sick political class that hates our country.”
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IELTS Discussion Essays [Discuss Both Views/Sides]
IELTS Discussion Essay Model Answer
A discussion essay, also called a controversial essay, is where you express your opinion about a topic. When writing one, Cover both sides of the topic , present the key points that back your viewpoint and the opposing one. Ensure a multi-faceted understanding of the issues before presenting your own personal views and conclusions.
IELTS Discussion Essays - Step-by-Step Instructions
Discussion Essay (Discuss both Sides/Views)
IELTS Discussion Essay Sample Questions
IELTS discuss both views essay - band 9 guide
With a discussion essay, you have to state others views and give supporting sentences with detail and specific examples. Discussion essays often ask your opinion. Click here to see this lesson about stating an opinion. When we state others views, especially in IELTS Discussion essays, there is specific language that should be used.
IELTS Writing Task 2 Discussion Sample Essay (Band 9)
There are hundreds of ways to structure a Discuss both views essay in the writing part. However, we'll use this 4-paragraph foolproof band 7+ structure: INTRODUCTION. Paraphrase the question statement or use a general statement relevant to the topic. Write your opinion statement (only if specified in the statement).
The structure of a discussion essay is different from an opinion essay as you will need to explain peoples views before you go into your own opinion. ... Example 1. A long time ago people used to go to market places and they bought basic daily necessities, now people can buy online and go to many high street shops. ...
Writing Task 2 Discuss Both Views Lesson
For example, ' this essay will discuss both views and state my own position'. There are three sentences you need in the introduction >>. Paraphrase the question / State both views. Give your view/opinion. Outline what is going to be discussed in the essay. Paragraph 2 - Main Body Paragraph 1.
Here's an example of how I write a 4-paragraph essay for "discuss and give your opinion" questions. Notice that I give my opinion in 3 places (introduction, paragraph 3, conclusion). Some people believe that studying at university or college is the best route to a successful career, while others believe that it is better to get a job straight after school. Discuss both views and give your ...
Discussion essays Considering both sides of the argument
Firstly I will give examples of possible causes, secondly, I will explain the advantages and disadvantages of this situation. 9. band. "These days people succeed in their chosen profession because they are good communicators and not just experts in a particular field". Discuss the reasons and why is the case.
In this essay, these several drawbacks and possible solutions will be discussed in detail. 7. band. Write about the following topic: The world of work is changing rapidly and employees cannot depend on having the same job or the same working conditions for life.
IELTS Opinion Essay - Topics, Structure and ...
Write an essay for your tutor discussing two of the ways in your notes. You should explain which way is more effective in motivating children to do regular exercise and provide reasons to support your opinion. You may, if you wish, make use of the opinions expressed in the discussion, but you should use your own words as far as possible.
IELTS Opinion Essay Sample Questions
Writing task 2 discussion essay examples. The three Advanced lessons available teach you enough skills to be able to apply the same logical. I advise keeping it under words writing task 2 discussion essay examples you may not have the time to write a writing task 2 discussion essay examples essay in the exam and it is not necessary to write a very long essay.
Opinion writing essay examples I will for sure use her again Remember: getting into college takes more than money. Some people think that success is the best measure for intelligence, while others think that intelligence can be measured in other ways. We need to redefine marriage. Go back and read the introduction to the essay because this is also a summary of the essay.
Now Ginni Thomas's isn't just lobbying to "Stop the Steal" — she's trying to Stop the Reform of her husband's own institution. So much for separate careers.
All good polling relies on statistical adjustment called "weighting," which makes sure that the survey sample aligns with the broader population on key characteristics. Historically, public opinion researchers have adjusted their data using a core set of demographic variables to correct imbalances between the survey sample and the population.
Recently, a book tour gave me the opportunity to travel around America. Budgets being what they are, I primarily chose cities where I had friends who would happily provide me with places to stay.
The discussion about defined benefits in Alaska is one of the best examples of how union bosses simply ignore the best interests of their membership.
A man is accused of drugging his wife and then inviting dozens of men to rape her over almost a decade. The questions raised by the case have unsettled the country.
Trump Plans to Expand Presidential Power Over Agencies ...